OUR HISTORY

Our story begins in 2000, when Rafco was established as a small entity and managed four properties owned by the company’s original founders. In the years since, we’ve evolved and expanded into an exclusive premium property management and consulting firm, providing services to an impressive array of clients throughout the St. Louis area.

Today, Rafco is a uniquely experienced, diversified company consisting of four distinct business services:

OUR PHILOSOPHY

From the start, Rafco was built on the principle of caring for a property as if it’s our own. That same philosophy still guides our company today, in everything we do and for every property we manage.

At Rafco, we understand that each client is unique, and every property is a valuable asset. So we strive daily to deliver proactive, highly personalized service to help protect your property investments. Our overriding goal is exceptional service to ensure every job—large or small—is done with attention to detail, and done right the first time.

Tobias is the man with the plan and the vision for Rafco. Serving as President since 2000, his personal and business philosophies are the driving force behind our company’s mission—and how we conduct business every day. Tobias realizes that determination and hard work are the core components behind our ability to provide exceptional service. And he’s well aware that, when it involves managing properties and client needs, there’s no task too big or too small. In addition, he prides himself on his keen grasp of utilizing the latest technologies to enhance safety, security, service and efficiency for all Rafco clients.

Tobias is a native St. Louisan, and currently resides here with his wife Tina and two children. He is a graduate of Lake Forest College in Illinois with a business degree.

"Our clients have so much invested in their properties. They need a management company like Rafco who recognizes and respects that commitment, and will also invest in their property in much the same way.”

During her tenure with Rafco, Tina has accumulated nearly 10 years of experience in real estate management and earned her designation as a Certified Property Manager (CPM) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) professional association. As Senior Vice President, she plays an integral role in developing and maintaining our team of professionals—all the managers, engineers, technicians and cleaners who interact with and take care of Rafco clients every day. Tina’s not only proud of the level of knowledge, experience and genuine care shared by each employee, she recognizes this front-line team is the key to fulfilling our main mission: to provide exceptional services for exceptional properties.

Tina is a graduate of Lake Forest College in Illinois, and also holds an advanced degree from St. Louis University. Outside the office, Tina’s two children help keep her active and busy. Given her strong passion for education, she’s involved as well with several local non-profits such as Ready Readers and Children's Education Alliance of Missouri.

“Every day, we strive to build client relationships for the long-term. That’s why everyone on Rafco’s team is 100% dedicated to delivering not just ordinary service, but service that goes ‘above and beyond’.”

Sharon Davis began her accounting career in the property management industry and has spent time working for both large and smaller privately owned companies. The Rafco team is glad to have her at the controls for all of our accounting and financial needs providing timely and accurate financial reporting internally and to our clients. Sharon’s analytical skills are admired by many as is her compassionate leadership style. Her upbeat personality fosters a team-oriented, productive work environment. Sharon obtained her Business Administration-Accounting degree from University of Missouri, St. Louis. When she is not crunching numbers and creating pivot tables, she can be found enjoying time with her daughter outdoors.

I find great joy in meeting our client’s needs and expectations, but even greater joy in reaching our team goals we set for ourselves to ensure we are exceeding those expectations.

A long-time management pro, Rob joined Rafco in 2010 and boasts nearly 30 years of construction and management experience with the bulk of his construction career spent as a custom homebuilder. That depth of experience and technical knowledge, in fact, serves him particularly well in performing property management and specializing in our high-end condominium associations and lofts. As a Senior Property Manager, Rob leads our Community Association business group. Rob is 100% dedicated to exceeding the expectations of our clients—from management and maintenance and financial reporting, to repairs, renovations and major construction projects.

Rob is a native and lifelong resident of St. Louis, with the exception of attending Tulane University to earn his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

“My management style is to take care of business in a straightforward, timely and transparent manner. Effective communication is always the key.”

John Koncki joined the Rafco team recently as the Senior Portfolio Manager for the Centene Corporation owned portfolio. His broad experience with office, retail, industrial and multi-family developments have made him a great asset to our organization. His real estate journey has resulted in stops from Chicago to Seattle and Portland with opportunities working with historic properties and new developments within 19 different states. John has been instrumental in fine tuning our “Best Practices” approach to property operations and communications with owners. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in Business Administration & Marketing. John is happy to be settled again in his hometown of St. Louis since 2000. His wife Jan has shared the journey, along with their daughter and grandson.

Bringing out the best in people and fostering cooperative and lasting relationships is what drives the success of our management team and overall approach.

With his strong engineering and facility background as well as his passion for project management, Joe Westermayer brings a great deal of technical expertise to our team. As the Director of Operations overseeing our commercial facility systems and maintenance team, his role is multi-faceted. A typical day can include meetings with owners, architects and contractors reviewing plans and blueprints, assisting his building engineers with troubleshooting, or programming and editing sequences to ensure efficient operations of the building systems. In addition to Joe’s experience, he is committed to professional development and enhancing his knowledge base; he recently completed a Master’s Program at Webster University in Management & Leadership. Joe leads by example and is proud to be caring for Class A properties with robust building automations systems.

It’s all in the details-whether it be writing the steps for future use, breaking down a problem, or creating a new system; that’s how we ensure efficiency, reliability and quality.

As Operations Manager, Matt drives our company’s proactive, “above and beyond” approach to maintenance and building systems management. He initiates, manages and follows up on every Rafco client service request, emergency call as well as routine inspections—all to ensure the work is performed correctly and on time. To provide “Class A” service for our clients 24/7, he successfully coordinates support and services from dozens of Rafco Preferred Vendors year-round.

Matt joined Rafco toward the beginning of 2011, bringing with him five years of operational experience and the expertise to offer a solution to nearly every challenge or issue. He has also earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Real Estate. During his free time, he enjoys honing his skill at the barbecue grill.

“No job’s too small…no problem’s too big to manage…and no detail is left unattended. That’s how we deliver a level of service that sets us apart.”

Brian Gerkens is the Division Manager for Rafco Clean. He Brings over 24 years of contract cleaning management experience specializing in managing million square foot plus cleaning contracts in Saint Louis and throughout the United States such as the Thomas Eagleton Courthouse, State Department, Pentagon, Norfolk Naval Base, Department of Energy and many more. Brian received the designation of RBSM (Registered Building Services Manager) from the Building Service Contractors Association in 1998 and brings an extensive knowledge of cleaning practices, procedures and customer service to all Rafco Clean accounts. His team mentality approach fosters an environment that makes all employees not only love their job but also the clients they clean for.

Lifelong resident of West County, Brian has two grown children and two grandchildren. He enjoys spending time outdoors whether it’s working in his yard, camping, remodeling homes or restoring classic cars.

“My philosophy is: there’s no such thing as ‘good enough’ when it comes to doing a job right.”

Judging by the numbers alone, Andre has proven himself to be a valuable asset to Rafco Clean—and essential to our growth and success. Including over 12 years with Rafco, he has accrued 20 years of experience in the janitorial field. As Operations Manager for our company, he’s responsible for over two million square feet of cleaning in the St. Louis area. That’s why Andre’s number one priority is making extraordinary cleaning an everyday experience for all clients. He’s also proud of the can-do attitude, professional work ethic, and diverse cleaning experience our employees bring to Rafco’s newest service line.

Beyond cleaning services, Andre’s additional day-to-day responsibilities include maintenance and operations. He currently resides in North St. Louis County with his wife and two daughters.

“To make a real difference, it takes consistency and performing to a higher standard than your competition. I think that’s the sign of a real professional.”

With over 150 years of combined experience under our tool belts, Rafco’s field staff is comprised of maintenance and building engineers, technicians and other highly skilled professionals. Each staff member is cross-trained on all Rafco managed properties, ensuring that our customers’ needs are always met. Our team never stops learning.